hello guys, i hope some of you can help me out at this.im new at downrigging.im wondering if when im using my downriggers.they are cannon electric with ion control.im wondering when im fishing im constantly hearing a humming noise coming from downrigger or the wire or something,is this just normal or is this noise scaring all the fish away.and is my donriggers broke or should i be able to turn the dial on the back and make that noise go away.my riggers are canon mini mags.and if someone could explain how the dial on the back works i would greatly appreciate it. all and any comments are appreciated thanks.
I get the same thing, always wondered if it scared the fish. I’m also curious about that.
if theres a fix for it I’d be interested in it
DZ
that noise is nothing to worry about it. it has nothing to do with your ion control. i got the same thing when i used manuals. its just the friction of the steel cable pulling through the water. there actually are a few things you can do to dampen the noise, but even the experts have yet to connect this noise with scaring fish. i dont worry about it on my DT IV and just let it hum away. it doesnt seem to effect my catch rate, or those who also downrigg from my boat.
one thing you can do is run a small rubber bungy cord from the base of your rigger and stretch it around the steel cable… and then attach it to the base of the downrigger. this steady pressure on the cable will dampen the noise.
another thing that some people do is put a tennis, or racket, ball on their cable. letting this ball float at the surface will cause the ball to drag and put a steady pressure on the cable… thus, dampening the noise. this is a little more convenient than the bungy method because you can raise and lower your weight without having to detach anything. the ball can also serve as a bumper to protect your boom. (especially where you dont have a short stop system on that mini-mag)
the last thing ive heard of people doing is to switch to a braided downrigger line, instead of the steel. cabelas sales the depth tracker line and the claims are that their is less drag, and no hum. this would make sense since the diameter is so much lower on a braid. (of course your ion control wont work without steel)
as far as the knob on the back… you turn it left to turn the ions down, and right to turn them up. i usually keep it at the lowest setting, but have noticed a difference at times by moving it up. i generally dont move it much past .6 though. i think most salmon “experts” agree that .6 is about the max you want to be pushing.
i hope this helps!
take care, bkidder
Thats noise is normal, it is made from the downrigger cable cutting through the water. I 2 manual downriggers and I get the same thing. I was told once that you could put a spring loaded clothes pin on the wire and it would solve that problem , but I’ve never tried it.
AFDan52
Stacking really slows down the humming.
I run a clip style stacker about 15’-20 down with a fairly water resistant lure on it.
By that I mean pop-geer, crank bait or spinner. That pull is like putting your finger on a guitar string. It also seems to supply a fairly steady stream if rainbows.
Normal.. even the braided line does it.
I can watch my downrigger on the sonar and watch lots of fish come to it so apparently it does not scare them too much.
I HAVE HEARD THAT IF YOU CHANGE THE LINE FROM THE STAINLESS WIRE TO A BRAIDED LINE YOU CAN REDUCE MAYBE ELIMINATE THE “HUMM” YOU HEAR…HAVE NOT HEARD OF ANY FISH SCARING FOR THIS HUM.
The humming noise is normal. It can also be a good strike indicator if you don’t happen to be watching at the time. The sound of the hum will change indicating a fish is messing with it.
Bodine
“Normal.. even the braided line does it.” I have to disagree,I use braided line on my riggers,and have NEVER heard that annoying hum. I have trolled as fast as my kicker would go(about 6mph) and still never heard any hum.
Me too! I got some of the Cabela’s braided line on my electrics for the once-in-a-blue-moon times I troll, and I can zoom along at any speed with no noise. I don’t think the “humm” bothers the fish with cable, but it gives me a headache and I wasn’t sure if I could mix Advil with No-Doze. So, I changed and just take the No-Doze!
I agree with bodine11 that the change in the hum will sometimes key you to a strike if you don’t happen to be watching your rig. The hum doesn’t really bother me, of course I’m half deaf from working around jet aircraft for the past 40 some years.[pirate]
Great post and topic… I have wondered if that hum (definitley normal) affected the bite. I tend to think that it must, at least somewhat.
I thought about trying fly line backing for a rigger cable a few years back to see if that would eliminate the noise, but I had no idea Cabelas had a product specifically for this.
And now that I see that The King, and even Yoda (TarponJim… You Troll ? WHAT ???) are useing this stuff, I will definitley be making the switch this spring.
heres a link to cabelas braided downrigger line for those who want to go that route…
thanks guys for all your help,this did help alot.so i guess now i wont have an excuse for not catching any fish.ha! ha! that braided line does seem to sound pretty good,but does it strech alot more than the steel wire? thanks kadyn99
I have DT IV’s also and know that the hum is normal. One thing I did to dampen it significantly is was to buy a couple large corks at the hardware store. I drilled through them the long way, then put them on the downrigger wire above my terminal kit. They create the drag mentioned in earlier posts which diminishes the hum, and I don’t have to remove them, just leave them on and to go catching.
corks sound like a great idea! i think i’ll do that to my riggers. i was thinking about doing the tennis ball thing, but figured theyd be a little bulky. but, if corks work, i’ll go that route! thanks a lot for the tip!
You guys that use the braid. Do your balls stay under your boat(more visible on sonar) better or is that even noticable at greater speeds?
i dont use braid, but i imagine that a lesser diameter means lesser resistence. this will most likely lead to less severe “blowback”
so, im pretty sure the answer to your question is that the weight will stay more vertical, under your boat, than with steel. other things you can do to help lessen blowback include using heavier weights, and using better shaped weights. (fish and pancakes drag less than balls)
I troll pretty fast, and can see the ball, as well as a lure about 40 feet behind my cannon ball, and the fish chasing the lure. This is all from a transducer pointed slightly back. Ball shows from the front of the cone, lure shows in the back of the cone. Ball stays pretty straight down at several miles per hour speed.
At least I can watch the fish chase me and laugh as I’m motoring along![;)]